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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bass — low music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. face — to confront
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — in biology
  11. game — a match
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — wild animals
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. face — part of the head
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — for sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to point toward
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. deal — to handle

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