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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. court — of law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. court — of a king
  11. bass — low music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fine — all right
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. track — a path
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bass — the fish
  21. track — a song
  22. stand — to bear
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. track — to keep track

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