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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: content · swing · coach · ball · clip · ruler · bass · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — the fish
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ball — a great time
  12. clip — a video
  13. swing — in golf
  14. content — happy
  15. swing — music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. content — the amount
  19. bass — low music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ruler — for measuring

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