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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bass — low music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ball — a dance
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. game — a match
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chair — a leader

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