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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. track — to keep track
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. net — in sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a path
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rest — a break
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bulb — for light

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