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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a music group
  5. bass — low music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bass — the fish
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rest — a break
  11. kick — in football
  12. bank — for money
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. band — a ring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — happy
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bank — for money
  22. rest — what's left
  23. game — a match
  24. kick — a thrill

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