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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fine — high quality
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. content — happy
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person

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