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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bass — low music
  5. court — of a king
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. dip — to sink
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — for paper
  17. court — for sport
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. safe — out of danger

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