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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — low music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. drill — army training
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. drill — a practice
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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