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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. court — of a king
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bass — low music
  8. court — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. snap — to click
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. racket — for tennis

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