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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pop — soda
  9. bat — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mug — a cup
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pop — music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bass — low music
  22. mug — a face
  23. shower — rain
  24. bat — for baseball

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