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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fine — all right
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cold — an illness
  10. court — of a king
  11. bulb — for light
  12. court — of law
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bass — low music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — for baseball

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