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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mate — a partner
  8. key — in music
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fine — all right
  22. field — a subject
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — for sport

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