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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — an aim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bound — certain
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. object — to protest
  10. field — farmland
  11. content — the amount
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bass — low music
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — a subject
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bass — the fish
  22. object — a thing
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mine — an explosive

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