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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. race — a contest
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fine — all right
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pop — soda
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pop — music
  18. fine — high quality
  19. race — the arms race
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. race — humankind
  24. bulb — for light

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