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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. game — a match
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — low music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitch — completely
  11. perch — the fish
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. net — in sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. net — after costs
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. net — for catching
  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