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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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. squash — the sport
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — shares
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. stock — goods
  15. bass — the fish
  16. content — happy
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fine — high quality
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — to crush
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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