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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 120 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — for sport
  3. squash — the sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bass — low music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — of law
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ground — the earth
  13. key — for a lock
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. court — of a king
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ground — crushed
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. key — in music
  24. ground — a position

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