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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. net — in sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. court — of law
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. net — for catching
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. court — for sport
  24. wave — with your hand

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