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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: mine · game · chest · shower · bowl · fine · content · bass

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. shower — rain
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — for digging
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. content — the amount
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chest — a box
  20. fine — all right
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chest — of your body

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