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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pop — soda
  5. content — the amount
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bass — the fish
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pop — music
  13. field — a subject
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — a measure
  17. field — for sport
  18. swing — music
  19. content — happy
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pop — to visit
  23. branch — a division
  24. bass — low music

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