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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. content — the amount
  3. drill — army training
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bass — the fish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. drill — the tool
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. content — happy
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. scale — in music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spell — letters

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