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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: present · mouse · swing · content · bat · cell · track · racket

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cell — a phone
  3. present — there
  4. track — a path
  5. swing — in golf
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. swing — music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — the time now
  20. track — to keep track
  21. content — happy
  22. present — a gift
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. content — the amount

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