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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. drill — a practice
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. swing — in golf
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — the cause
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chip — to eat
  15. root — of a word
  16. drill — army training
  17. plane — a tool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. chip — for betting
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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