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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. court — of a king
  3. bass — low music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. race — a contest
  7. can — a tin
  8. shower — rain
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pass — a permit
  12. race — humankind
  13. bass — the fish
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ball — a dance
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — for sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ball — a great time
  23. shower — to wash
  24. court — of law

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