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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. court — for sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bass — low music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. present — there
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. court — of law
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. season — in sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. present — the time now
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of a king

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