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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — in control
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ball — a great time
  8. drill — army training
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kid — child
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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