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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. suit — clothes
  4. root — the cause
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. field — farmland
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — a subject
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. swing — music
  14. suit — to fit
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cap — of ice
  17. suit — in cards
  18. field — for sport
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — the amount
  21. cap — a lid
  22. swing — to play on
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a football final

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