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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. content — the amount
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mate — a friend
  16. content — happy
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lean — thin
  24. mark — to pay attention

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