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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — a path
  3. object — an aim
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. content — happy
  6. current — happening now
  7. object — to protest
  8. content — the amount
  9. present — a gift
  10. track — a song
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. present — there
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. object — a thing
  15. current — of water
  16. present — the time now
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. current — electric
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bass — the instrument

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