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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. cell — in biology
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bass — low music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — army training
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. court — of a king
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — a partner
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — the fish

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