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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fine — all right
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — a cup
  11. content — happy
  12. file — a document
  13. spring — the season
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — a face
  16. spring — of water
  17. file — a tool
  18. club — for golf
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fine — high quality
  22. club — a group
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spring — a coil

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