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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. march — music
  4. toast — bread
  5. current — electric
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kid — to tease
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. bulb — for light
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bass — the fish
  24. march — the month

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