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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mate — a partner
  11. court — of a king
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mate — a friend
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — for digging

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