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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bass — the fish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — the amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tube — a container
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. key — in music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bark — of a tree

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