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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. court — of a king
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. race — a contest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — for sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. court — of law
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — after costs
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. net — in sport
  24. bass — the instrument

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