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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the fish
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bass — low music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. content — the amount
  18. swing — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ground — crushed
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — happy
  24. bat — for baseball

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