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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bulb — for light
  6. press — to push
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. perch — the fish
  15. drill — army training
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. drill — a practice
  22. press — newspapers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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