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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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Word bank
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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bass — low music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. object — a thing
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — happy
  11. craft — a skill
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. craft — boats
  15. spell — magic
  16. content — the amount
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bass — the fish
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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