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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — of water
  4. bass — low music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. current — happening now
  7. content — happy
  8. mate — to breed
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pound — a weight
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. content — the amount
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — electric
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. land — ground
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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