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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. bass — low music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. net — for catching
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. content — the amount
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. net — in sport
  23. arm — a part of something
  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