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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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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: row · bass · lie · chip · net · race · calf · content

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. row — a line
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. content — the amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. race — a contest
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. race — humankind
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — to eat
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bass — low music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lie — to recline
  24. calf — a young animal

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