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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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 — videos and posts
  2. bass — low music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rest — a break
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. content — happy
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — army training
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. drill — the tool
  16. row — a line
  17. drill — a practice
  18. content — the amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. current — happening now
  23. arm — a part of something
  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