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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. swing — to play on
  3. court — of a king
  4. shower — rain
  5. court — of law
  6. bass — low music
  7. bulb — for light
  8. row — a line
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. season — in sport
  11. bulb — for light
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. court — for sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. swing — music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. shower — to wash
  24. season — of the year

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