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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: mug · stick · object · swing · content · ground · cold · tube

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. content — happy
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mug — a face
  9. cold — an illness
  10. object — a thing
  11. ground — a position
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. swing — to play on
  15. tube — a container
  16. mug — to rob
  17. content — the amount
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — the earth
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cold — not warm
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mug — a cup

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