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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fine — all right
  4. bass — low music
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fine — high quality
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. roll — a cake
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — help
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — a sauce

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