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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. net — in sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — humankind
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — after costs
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — happy
  12. race — the arms race
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. net — for catching
  16. race — a contest
  17. swing — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bass — low music
  22. content — the amount
  23. can — a tin
  24. swing — to play on

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