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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bass — the fish
  4. degree — from a university
  5. scale — in music
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — the amount
  9. rush — hurry
  10. content — happy
  11. scale — size or range
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rock — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. degree — temperature
  21. game — a match
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rock — a stone

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