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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · scale · content · stick · snap · land · pop · straw

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. content — happy
  5. land — a country
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. land — ground
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bass — low music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. scale — in music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pop — soda
  16. bass — the fish
  17. scale — size or range
  18. land — to come down
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. content — the amount
  22. snap — to click
  23. pop — to visit
  24. scale — for weighing

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