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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: hide · fall · present · mate · swing · chair · content · mouse

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — there
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. present — the time now
  8. mate — a friend
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fall — the season
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — a gift
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — music
  24. chair — a professorship

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