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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chest — of your body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bass — low music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pitch — completely
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — the fish
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mug — a cup

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