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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. present — there
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fall — the season
  7. present — the time now
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — the fish
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — the earth
  16. present — a gift
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. scale — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ground — a position
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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