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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. content — the amount
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. content — happy
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hand — in cards
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — help
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mine — an explosive

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