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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bass — low music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. scale — in music
  9. content — the amount
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cue — for pool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cue — a signal
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. content — happy
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. craft — boats
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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