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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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tube — a container
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bass — the fish
  21. court — of law
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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