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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: bay · chip · racket · hand · content · suit · swing · firm

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. suit — in cards
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chip — for betting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — steady
  9. chip — to eat
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. firm — a company
  12. suit — to fit
  13. swing — music
  14. content — the amount
  15. hand — help
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. suit — clothes
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. firm — decided
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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