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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — soda
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bass — low music
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wind — moving air
  7. court — for sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. pop — to visit
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — a permit
  18. foot — a measure
  19. drill — army training
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. court — of a king
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — part of the body

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