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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pop — soda
  3. content — happy
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. content — the amount
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pop — music
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rash — a series
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cap — a hat
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rash — hasty

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