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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: stand · game · pit · mate · ground · swing · content · foot

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. swing — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ground — a position
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — to breed
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pit — a hole
  15. content — happy
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. content — the amount
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mate — a friend
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pit — in a race

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