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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bass — low music
  9. court — of a king
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — for sport
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. drill — a practice
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mug — a face
  20. drill — army training
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the 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