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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. scale — in music
  5. kid — child
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bass — the fish
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — a publisher
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — to push
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bass — low music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chest — a box
  22. kid — to tease
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bass — the instrument

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