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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. land — ground
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. content — the amount
  8. land — a country
  9. swing — in golf
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. swing — music
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — happy
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — to come down
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bass — low music

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