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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. shower — rain
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bulb — for light
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ground — a position

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