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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rash — hasty
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. roll — a list
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. content — happy
  21. rash — a series
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. content — the amount

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