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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. rash — a series
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — low music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ground — a position
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. content — the amount
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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