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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. deal — to handle
  4. track — a song
  5. key — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — an illness
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wake — a trail
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bass — low music
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — for light

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