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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · field · bay · content · last · bass · fine · hide

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. field — farmland
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. last — finally
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. fine — high quality
  15. content — the amount
  16. field — a subject
  17. bass — the fish
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. content — happy
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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