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

Word bank: swing · squash · present · content · bat · bay · cue · temple

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. swing — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cue — a hint
  6. present — there
  7. squash — the sport
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. present — a gift
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. swing — to play on
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. present — the time now
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cue — for pool
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — a signal

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