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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fork — in a road
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. court — for sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — electric
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. court — of law
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fork — a garden tool

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