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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. content — happy
  3. object — a thing
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. game — a match
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — the amount
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. object — an aim
  13. bass — low music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — to bend
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fine — all right
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. branch — a division
  21. game — wild animals
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lean — to rest against

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