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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. net — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. current — happening now
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bound — obliged
  9. current — of water
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. net — after costs
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — for catching
  19. content — happy
  20. bound — certain
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — tied together
  24. current — electric

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