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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — bread
  4. rest — a break
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — in music
  9. track — a song
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bass — the fish
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. swing — music
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — a path
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — to keep track
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wind — to turn a key

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