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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: racket · foot · snap · land · content · toast · root · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. root — the cause
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. land — ground
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. content — the amount
  11. swing — to play on
  12. toast — bread
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — happy
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. foot — a measure
  17. snap — to click
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. root — of a plant
  22. land — a country
  23. root — of a word
  24. swing — music

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