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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of law
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ball — a dance
  11. court — of a king
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — the season
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. chip — to eat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rush — a thrill

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