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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: ball · can · bat · swing · date · content · board · prune

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bat — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — music
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — to be able to
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — the amount
  15. board — to get on
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ball — a great time
  22. swing — to play on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. content — happy

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