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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a match
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bass — low music
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bulb — of a plant

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