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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 120 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chip — to eat
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chip — for betting
  18. capital — a city
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bass — low music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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