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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. drill — the tool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. swing — to play on
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. content — the amount
  13. swing — music
  14. chest — a box
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. content — happy
  23. race — a contest
  24. sharp — clever

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