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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — a path
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. drill — the tool
  10. track — a song
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — music
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pit — a hole
  20. season — in sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. court — of a king
  23. bass — low music
  24. season — to add flavour

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