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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spell — letters
  4. drill — a practice
  5. net — for catching
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. lie — to recline
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. drill — army training
  22. lean — thin
  23. bass — low music
  24. lie — an untruth

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