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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. rash — a series
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. face — part of the head
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rash — hasty
  15. key — in music
  16. kid — child
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — of water

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