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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bass — the fish
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fine — all right
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. dip — to sink

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