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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bass — the fish
  3. club — for golf
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — low music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chest — a box
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kid — child
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stock — goods
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. club — a group
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — shares
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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