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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bass — low music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. hand — help
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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