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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pop — to visit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pop — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. field — farmland
  18. cap — a lid
  19. field — a subject
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. leaves — lets stay

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