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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. drill — army training
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rock — a stone
  8. content — happy
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — the amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fall — the season
  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