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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: court · bulb · pop · lie · bass · ball · mine · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pop — soda
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. court — for sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pop — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lie — to recline
  20. court — of a king
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — of law
  23. pop — to visit
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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