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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. dip — to sink
  4. content — the amount
  5. court — for sport
  6. track — to keep track
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — a path
  14. drill — army training
  15. track — a song
  16. content — happy
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ball — a dance
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. bass — low music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ball — a great time

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