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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — hurry
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. track — a song
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. date — the fruit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bass — low music
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. track — to keep track
  23. date — on the calendar
  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