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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.

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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: wave · mug · arm · court · mouse · press · swing · content

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — of law
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mug — a face
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. court — for sport
  11. press — a publisher
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. press — to push
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. court — of a king

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