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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bank — for money
  4. present — a gift
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. present — the time now
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bank — of a river
  11. march — the month
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. march — the month
  14. present — there
  15. content — the amount
  16. bass — low music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bank — for money

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