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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: lean · content · roll · pound · rush · pit · pop · bass

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bass — low music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. roll — a list
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. lean — to bend
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pop — music
  15. lean — thin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pop — soda
  24. rush — hurry

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