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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. court — of a king
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — a series
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bass — low music
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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