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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pass — a permit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. game — a match
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cold — not warm
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cold — the Cold War

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