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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 · hand · bass · nail · dip · file · content · jam

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. spell — a short time
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — letters
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spell — magic
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. file — a document
  19. hand — in cards
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. file — a tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. hand — help

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