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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bulb — for light
  5. roll — a cake
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bass — low music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. club — for golf
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. club — for dancing
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. club — a group
  24. roll — a list

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