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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kid — child
  3. lean — to bend
  4. last — to go on
  5. scale — in music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — finally
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — thin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bass — the fish
  16. swing — to play on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. swing — music
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. last — final
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — size or range

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