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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. present — the time now
  11. cold — an illness
  12. present — a gift
  13. bass — low music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. present — there
  16. pass — a permit
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. leaves — of a tree

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