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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. club — for dancing
  3. content — the amount
  4. clip — a video
  5. shower — rain
  6. club — a group
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rush — hurry
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — low music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — for golf
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bank — for money
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bank — for money

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