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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. drill — army training
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bass — low music
  5. charge — electricity
  6. clip — for paper
  7. drill — a practice
  8. charge — in control
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bat — the animal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — a price
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. content — happy
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fan — a supporter

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