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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · season · cue · suit · court · swing · toast · wound

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. swing — in golf
  3. court — of law
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. toast — bread
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. swing — music
  9. cue — for pool
  10. suit — clothes
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. suit — to fit
  13. swing — to play on
  14. season — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. court — of a king
  23. suit — in cards
  24. season — of the year

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