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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fine — high quality
  10. content — happy
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fine — all right
  14. band — a music group
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a ring
  20. bass — low music
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. content — the amount

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