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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. court — of law
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — of a king
  5. perch — the fish
  6. court — for sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bass — the fish
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cap — a hat
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — of ice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rock — a stone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — music

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