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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — for catching
  5. content — the amount
  6. swing — music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — after costs
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stand — to bear
  13. swing — to play on
  14. content — happy
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — a tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — in sport

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