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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. content — happy
  10. spring — the season
  11. pop — soda
  12. scale — in music
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. spring — of water
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pop — music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. content — the amount
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pop — to visit

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