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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 124 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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 fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. content — happy
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. march — the month
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. pop — to visit
  18. land — a country
  19. march — music
  20. content — the amount
  21. shower — rain
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bass — low music
  24. shower — to wash

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