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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — high quality
  6. court — of a king
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bass — low music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. court — for sport
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — of law
  21. vault — a safe
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. fine — all right

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