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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: craft · kick · pound · cell · swing · content · racket · wound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. swing — music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. swing — in golf
  8. kick — in football
  9. content — happy
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. craft — boats
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cell — a phone
  20. content — the amount
  21. craft — a skill
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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