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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bass — low music
  14. court — for sport
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — completely
  20. face — to confront
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cue — a signal
  24. face — to point toward

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