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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. court — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — low music
  7. file — a document
  8. court — of a king
  9. firm — steady
  10. branch — a division
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. firm — a company
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bass — the fish
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. court — of law
  22. firm — decided
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bat — in an idiom

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