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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. face — to confront
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hand — in cards
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bass — low music
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. face — to point toward

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