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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · court · pitcher · foot · swing · calf · rock · content

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. swing — in golf
  7. court — of a king
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. swing — music
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. swing — to play on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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