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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bass — low music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ground — crushed
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to click
  22. mine — for digging
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bass — the instrument

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