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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bass — low music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. court — of law
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. rock — a stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. court — for sport
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kid — child
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pitcher — a jug

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