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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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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: bat · pound · ball · content · trunk · calf · bass · coach

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bat — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bass — low music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — happy
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. trunk — of a tree

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