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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: saw · content · squash · coach · rash · clip · swing · shower

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. content — the amount
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — to wash
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. clip — to cut
  7. content — happy
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. clip — a video
  10. shower — rain
  11. clip — for paper
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. squash — to crush
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. saw — the tool

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