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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bass — low music
  7. rest — a break
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mate — to breed
  21. degree — from a university
  22. track — a song
  23. mate — a partner
  24. degree — an amount

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