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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. object — a thing
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mate — a friend
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. object — an aim
  8. content — the amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — all right
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. content — happy
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bass — low music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. object — to protest
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chair — to sit on

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