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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — completely
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stock — shares
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — goods
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — wild animals
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rush — hurry
  24. face — part of the head

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