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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: content · wind · stand · last · object · ball · swing · coach

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a dance
  6. content — happy
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. object — a thing
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. swing — to play on
  14. object — an aim
  15. content — the amount
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — final
  19. swing — music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ball — a great time
  22. swing — in golf
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — to turn a key

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