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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · ball · fan · net · ground · bass · content · bear

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — happy
  4. bass — low music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. net — for catching
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. net — after costs
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fan — a supporter

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