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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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468
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: staff · pass · content · hand · racket · swing · wound · hide

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. content — the amount
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. staff — employees
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. staff — a stick
  19. swing — to play on
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — happy

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