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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — low music
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. march — the month
  14. key — in music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — music
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. march — the month

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