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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — the season
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — a series
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wake — a trail
  22. club — for golf
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wake — before a funeral

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