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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. kid — to tease
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. court — of a king
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of law
  12. kid — child
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rock — music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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