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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: cell · sharp · court · bass · mate · calf · clip · bulb

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — for sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. clip — to cut
  11. court — of a king
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mate — to breed
  16. court — of law
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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