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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bass — low music
  6. content — happy
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — letters
  11. content — the amount
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bass — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — the fruit
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rush — hurry

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