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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. court — of a king
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kid — to tease
  8. court — of law
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bass — the fish

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