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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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Word bank
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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: ground · hide · staff · swing · wake · march · foot · content

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. staff — employees
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. march — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — the earth
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ground — a position
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. staff — employees

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