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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bass — the fish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitch — completely
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rash — a series
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. key — in music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bulb — for light
  24. key — the most important part

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