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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. court — of a king
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fine — high quality
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — low music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. court — of law
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bass — the fish
  21. court — for sport
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fine — all right
  24. craft — boats

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