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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — in sport
  7. bass — the fish
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bass — low music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — for sport
  14. march — music
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — to tire
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — of the year
  24. can — a tin

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