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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. season — in sport
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. can — a tin
  7. season — of the year
  8. bass — the fish
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. court — of law
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. current — happening now
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. can — to be able to
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — a trainer

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