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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. court — of law
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a ring
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. court — of a king
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rock — music
  13. bass — low music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a music group
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — magic

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