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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — low music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. press — to push
  15. can — a tin
  16. rash — a series
  17. court — for sport
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. court — of law
  23. rash — hasty
  24. shower — rain

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