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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chest — a box
  9. content — the amount
  10. object — an aim
  11. track — to keep track
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. content — happy
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — to crush
  23. kick — in football
  24. track — a song

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