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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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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: lie · mate · cap · bulb · net · pop · court · bass

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pop — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. court — of law
  7. bass — low music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. pop — soda

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