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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chest — a box
  6. object — an aim
  7. content — the amount
  8. bass — the fish
  9. object — a thing
  10. mark — a trace
  11. perch — the fish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. object — to protest
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — low music
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — happy
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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