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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. content — the amount
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bass — low music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. content — happy
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bore — to tire
  16. key — in music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bore — to drill
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bore — gave birth

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