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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. scale — size or range
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bass — low music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. scale — in music
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — for sport
  18. bound — certain
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. court — of law
  21. mate — to breed
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. court — of a king

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