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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. court — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. rock — music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rock — a stone
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — temperature
  19. court — of a king
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. degree — an amount
  23. court — of law
  24. degree — from a university

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