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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bass — low music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bulb — for light
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mug — a face
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. march — music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hand — help
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bulb — for light
  24. charge — a price

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