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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rock — a stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a ring
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — music
  22. bass — low music
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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