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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bank — for money
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — completely

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