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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. track — a song
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ground — crushed
  12. track — a path
  13. bass — low music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bass — the fish
  16. track — to keep track
  17. content — the amount
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. content — happy
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. content — videos and posts

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