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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pit — a hole
  3. firm — steady
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hand — in cards
  6. firm — decided
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. capital — a city
  9. hand — help
  10. content — happy
  11. capital — money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pit — in a race
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bass — low music
  22. firm — a company
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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