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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bass — the fish
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. firm — a company
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — a position
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. firm — decided
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. firm — steady
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — a video
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bulb — of a plant

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