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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: cap · mine · hand · racket · bass · bulb · ruler · charge

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. charge — a price
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cap — a hat
  12. charge — electricity
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — low music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. charge — in control
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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