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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kick — in football
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. toast — bread
  24. bass — the fish

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