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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — happy
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pop — soda
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bass — low music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. band — a music group
  13. pop — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. band — a ring
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ball — a dance
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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