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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. kid — to tease
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — child
  22. content — the amount
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. nail — for a hammer

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