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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 116 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — a price
  3. bass — the fish
  4. court — of law
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — for sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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