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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bass — the fish
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bass — low music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chest — a box
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — of your body
  19. content — happy
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rest — a break
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wave — of the sea

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