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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. content — the amount
  3. fine — high quality
  4. net — for catching
  5. fine — all right
  6. net — in sport
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — happy
  17. net — after costs
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — low music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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