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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. sharp — clever
  9. content — the amount
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. content — happy
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bass — low music
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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