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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bass — the fish
  14. content — the amount
  15. capital — a city
  16. bass — low music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rash — hasty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. capital — money
  23. squash — the sport
  24. content — happy

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