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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. swing — in golf
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. court — of law
  6. content — happy
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rush — hurry
  12. firm — a company
  13. swing — music
  14. content — the amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. firm — decided
  19. swing — to play on
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. court — of a king
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. chip — in a computer

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