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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. charge — electricity
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bulb — for light
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. kick — in football
  14. charge — in control
  15. bass — low music
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — a price
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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