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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 · ground · content · coach · bark · chip · ruler · mug

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mug — a face
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ground — a position
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mug — to rob
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. content — the amount

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