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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. field — for sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. field — a subject
  7. court — of a king
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mug — a cup
  16. court — for sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a face
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — of law

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