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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chest — a box
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bank — for money
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — the fish
  12. craft — boats
  13. bass — low music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bank — for money
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. content — the amount
  23. chest — of your body
  24. content — happy

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