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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
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: wound · object · content · club · chest · hide · pitcher · bass

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — happy
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. object — a thing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. club — a group
  8. object — to protest
  9. bass — low music
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. object — an aim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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