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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. chest — a box
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — the fish
  12. court — of law
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — farmland
  18. object — a thing
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. season — of the year
  24. field — for sport

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