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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · march · hide · bulb · current · bass · game · jam

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. current — electric
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — happening now
  6. march — music
  7. current — of water
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. face — to point toward
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. face — to confront
  22. game — wild animals
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. face — part of the head

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