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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bat — the animal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. row — a line
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — in sport
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bass — low music
  10. snap — to click
  11. scale — in music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bulb — for light
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bulb — for light
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. season — of the year

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