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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bass — the fish
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. root — of a word
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bass — low music
  10. court — of a king
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. court — of law
  14. root — the cause
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. band — a ring
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pound — for dogs

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