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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hand — help
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. file — a document
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hand — in cards
  20. file — a tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. bass — low music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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