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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. content — happy
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ground — a position
  13. march — the month
  14. race — humankind
  15. bass — the fish
  16. race — a contest
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. lean — thin
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ground — crushed
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ground — the earth
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. content — the amount

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