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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rest — what's left
  5. scale — size or range
  6. face — to confront
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spell — magic
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — low music
  14. face — part of the head
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. scale — in music
  24. ball — a round shape

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