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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fine — all right
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bass — low music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fine — high quality
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fine — a penalty

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