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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — low music
  11. ground — a position
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kid — child
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bulb — for light
  24. deal — an agreement

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