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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bass — the fish
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bass — low music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bulb — for light

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