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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. club — a group
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bass — the fish
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kick — in football
  22. bass — low music
  23. march — music
  24. club — for golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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