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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ball — a great time
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bass — low music
  10. court — for sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fine — all right
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — high quality
  15. court — of a king
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. roll — a list
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — music
  22. court — of law
  23. fall — the season
  24. chest — of your body

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