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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. court — of law
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. present — there
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. perch — the fish
  11. court — of a king
  12. bass — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. present — the time now
  18. bass — low music
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a ring
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. present — a gift
  24. band — a music group

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