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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bass — low music
  7. court — of law
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. court — for sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bass — the fish

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