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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. squash — the sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. squash — to crush
  6. object — an aim
  7. bass — the fish
  8. object — a thing
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — of law
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — there
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. net — after costs
  17. scale — in music
  18. net — for catching
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. net — in sport
  22. bass — low music
  23. object — to protest
  24. branch — of a bank

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