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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. charge — a price
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — thin
  8. content — happy
  9. can — a tin
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — the amount
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bear — the animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bear — the animal

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