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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. court — of law
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. court — for sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. court — of a king
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a cup
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — a face
  17. rock — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mug — to rob
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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