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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hand — help
  10. last — to go on
  11. bass — low music
  12. last — finally
  13. track — a path
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — to tease
  24. last — final

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