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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. swing — to play on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. swing — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of a king
  13. content — happy
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. court — of law
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. court — for sport
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. branch — a division
  22. bass — low music
  23. content — the amount
  24. bass — the instrument

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