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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — letters
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spell — magic
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bulb — for light
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — a short time

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