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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bass — low music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pop — music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. content — happy
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. content — the amount
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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