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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. band — a ring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — low music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — clever
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fine — all right
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. rash — a series
  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