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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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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pop — soda
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. capital — money
  11. charge — in control
  12. content — happy
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — music
  15. content — the amount
  16. firm — decided
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. firm — a company
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. capital — a city
  23. firm — steady
  24. pop — to visit

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