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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. swing — music
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. season — of the year
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pound — a weight
  14. content — happy
  15. fine — high quality
  16. season — in sport
  17. fine — all right
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. content — the amount
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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