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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · racket · bass · swing · bulb · mine · wind · court

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bass — low music
  4. swing — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — to play on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. court — of law
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. court — of a king
  23. swing — in golf
  24. court — for sport

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