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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — a series
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a cup

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