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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. content — happy
  10. suit — to fit
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. suit — in cards
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chest — of your body
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. swing — in golf

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