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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wake — a trail
  13. court — of law
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. firm — a company
  19. bass — low music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. firm — decided
  22. rash — a series
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. firm — steady

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