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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rash — a series
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bass — low music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rash — hasty
  21. board — to get on
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bowl — a football final

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