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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — the underground
  4. land — a country
  5. bass — the fish
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. content — the amount
  8. tube — a container
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — to come down
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — ground
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. track — a song
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — happy
  20. bass — low music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — moving air

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