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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: track · bulb · net · bass · march · calf · kid · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bass — low music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — child
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bulb — for light
  14. charge — in control
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. net — for catching
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bass — the fish
  19. march — the month
  20. kid — to tease
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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