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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. can — a tin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rash — a series
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bass — low music
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — child
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bulb — of a plant

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