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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: swing · calf · content · bound · pop · ground · firm · mark

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. content — the amount
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ground — the earth
  5. firm — steady
  6. ground — a position
  7. pop — music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mark — a trace
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. content — happy
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pop — to visit
  21. swing — in golf
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mark — a grade

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