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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. present — the time now
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cell — in biology
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pop — soda
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. bass — the fish
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bass — low music
  23. content — the amount
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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