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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lean — to bend
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. content — happy
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — low music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lie — to recline
  14. band — a music group
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lean — thin

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