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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bass — low music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — hasty
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fall — the season
  16. content — the amount
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. key — in music
  23. content — happy
  24. racket — for tennis

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