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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pound — a weight
  3. content — happy
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — the amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. squash — the vegetable

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