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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. content — the amount
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. spell — letters
  5. row — a line
  6. bass — low music
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. clip — for paper
  10. spell — a short time
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. content — happy
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cue — a hint
  24. jam — in traffic

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