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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. band — a music group
  5. pass — a permit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. race — a contest
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. clip — to cut
  10. content — happy
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — a video
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. race — humankind
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bass — low music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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