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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fall — the season
  5. content — happy
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. track — a path
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. track — a song

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