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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: wave · bat · dip · content · pop · rock · scale · pitcher

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. content — happy
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pop — music
  16. rock — music
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rock — a stone

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