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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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Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. scale — in music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rush — hurry
  6. scale — size or range
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. degree — from a university
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — happy
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — low music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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