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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 124 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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the fish
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — rain
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — after costs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — an aim
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a document
  19. object — to protest
  20. shower — to wash
  21. kick — in football
  22. object — a thing
  23. file — a tool
  24. bass — the instrument

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