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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — low music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — after costs
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. game — a match
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pop — soda
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pop — music
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pop — to visit
  24. game — a kind of play

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