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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bass — the fish
  3. current — of water
  4. roll — a list
  5. content — happy
  6. net — for catching
  7. press — to push
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bass — low music
  12. current — electric
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — after costs
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spring — of water
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. content — the amount
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. press — a publisher

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