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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — music
  4. court — of law
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. net — after costs
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. court — for sport
  11. rock — a stone
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — for catching
  15. mug — a face
  16. plane — a tool
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — of a king
  19. file — a document
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mug — a cup
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bass — the instrument

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