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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. bass — low music
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. court — of law
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — of a king
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the fish
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. field — for sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. court — for sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. field — a subject
  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