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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. swing — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. content — the amount
  10. swing — to play on
  11. board — to get on
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bound — tied together
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bound — obliged
  20. present — a gift
  21. land — to come down
  22. board — a committee
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com