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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: lie · race · fall · scale · fan · mark · content · bass

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — low music
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fall — the season
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. scale — size or range
  11. race — humankind
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. lie — to recline
  15. race — the arms race
  16. scale — in music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. race — a contest
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. content — happy
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fall — to drop

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