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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: bark · rush · key · kid · content · chair · swing · fall

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — the most important part
  9. swing — music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — in music
  23. fall — the season
  24. chair — a professorship

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