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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pop — soda
  3. pitch — completely
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pop — music
  6. chest — a box
  7. bass — the fish
  8. club — a group
  9. content — the amount
  10. club — for dancing
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. club — for golf
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. chest — of your body
  20. content — happy
  21. pop — to visit
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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