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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. face — to point toward
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. court — of law
  7. face — part of the head
  8. race — a contest
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. race — the arms race
  11. craft — boats
  12. court — of a king
  13. face — to confront
  14. last — finally
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. race — humankind
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — final
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — for sport
  21. craft — a skill
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. last — to go on
  24. bass — the fish

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