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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. band — a ring
  5. club — a group
  6. plane — a tool
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bass — low music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mug — a face
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bulb — for light
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. band — a music group
  24. bat — the animal

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