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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rest — a break
  3. squash — the sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — low music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. content — happy

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