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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — the amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — the animal
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. chip — in a computer

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