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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
468
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: hide · game · court · face · bulb · pound · bass · content

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. content — the amount
  5. game — a match
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. face — part of the head
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. court — of law
  11. bass — the fish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bass — low music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. court — for sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. court — of a king
  22. pound — a weight
  23. face — to confront
  24. content — happy

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