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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — to shout
  11. drill — army training
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stock — goods
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. court — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — low music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — of a king
  24. tear — from crying

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