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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. bank — of a river
  7. march — music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — low music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bass — the fish
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bat — the animal
  24. march — the month

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