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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mate — a friend
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pop — to visit
  6. season — in sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. court — of a king
  10. pop — soda
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a partner
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mate — to breed

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