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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: pop · press · swing · content · kid · mark · ground · bowl

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. content — happy
  5. ground — the earth
  6. swing — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. mark — a trace
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ground — a position
  11. content — the amount
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — music
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. press — to push
  20. kid — child
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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