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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — the season
  3. spell — magic
  4. content — the amount
  5. bass — low music
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bass — the fish
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — happy
  15. spring — a coil
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spell — a short time
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — of water
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. can — a tin
  23. rock — a stone
  24. racket — for tennis

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