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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bass — low music
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tube — a container

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