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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. capital — a city
  3. season — in sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. snap — to click
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bass — the fish
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. spell — magic
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spell — letters
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — money
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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