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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lie — to recline
  3. track — a path
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — for digging
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. content — happy
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — a song
  19. net — for catching
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — to keep track
  24. squash — to crush

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