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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — farmland
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bank — for money
  21. kick — in football
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. field — a subject

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