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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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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. field — farmland
  3. court — of a king
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. field — a subject
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. court — for sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. field — for sport

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