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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bass — the fish
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. content — the amount
  9. bass — low music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. race — a contest
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. kick — in football
  23. pass — a permit
  24. content — happy

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