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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. band — a ring
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pop — music
  6. charge — in control
  7. drill — army training
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bulb — for light
  11. face — to point toward
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pop — to visit
  14. charge — a price
  15. bass — low music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pop — soda
  23. face — to confront
  24. band — a music group

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