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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. game — a match
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cell — a phone
  13. game — wild animals
  14. band — a ring
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bulb — for light
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bass — low music

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