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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. drill — army training
  3. dip — to sink
  4. craft — a skill
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. drill — a practice
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bass — the fish
  10. court — of law
  11. drill — the tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bass — low music
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. craft — boats
  18. shower — to wash
  19. row — a line
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. craft — a handicraft

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