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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: spell · bay · bass · fan · mark · content · swing · date

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bass — the fish
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spell — magic
  12. content — happy
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spell — letters
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bass — low music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. swing — 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