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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — of law
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. band — a ring
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bass — low music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — the fish
  18. can — a tin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. can — to be able to
  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