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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — of a king
  5. chest — a box
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. court — of law
  10. swing — to play on
  11. court — for sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. swing — music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mug — a face
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  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