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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
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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: content · can · nail · chest · bass · court · wind · club

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — a tin
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. can — a tin
  8. content — happy
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — for sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — to be able to
  13. club — for golf
  14. chest — a box
  15. court — of a king
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. club — a group
  22. chest — of your body
  23. court — of law
  24. bass — low music

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