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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 120 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: suit · bass · ball · wound · field · content · bear · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bat — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ball — a great time
  10. content — the amount
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — low music
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. suit — clothes
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. field — a subject
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — in cards
  24. content — videos and posts

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