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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. season — in sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. club — for golf
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hand — help
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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