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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pop — music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pop — soda
  10. season — of the year
  11. court — for sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. court — of a king
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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