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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mark — a grade
  5. dip — to sink
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. content — the amount
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — happy
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bass — the fish

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