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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 116 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: sharp · last · content · dip · race · land · tube · bass

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. dip — to sink
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. race — humankind
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. last — final
  13. tube — the underground
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — a container
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. bass — the fish
  21. land — to come down
  22. race — the arms race
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. race — a contest

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