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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rest — a break
  4. kick — in football
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bass — the fish
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bass — low music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — in 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