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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of a king
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tear — to rip
  12. court — of law
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. court — for sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bass — low music
  24. tear — from crying

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