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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · swing · last · board · drill · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — final
  7. board — a committee
  8. swing — music
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. drill — army training
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. board — to get on
  18. rock — a stone

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