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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. court — of law
  11. present — a gift
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rock — music
  16. present — the time now
  17. track — a song
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. present — there
  21. court — of a king
  22. season — of the year
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. calf — of the leg

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