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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. content — happy
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — a series
  8. content — the amount
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wound — an injury
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rash — hasty
  18. scale — size or range
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. present — the time now
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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