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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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. rush — to hurry
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bass — low music

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