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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — low music
  6. court — for sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — the arms race
  9. charge — in control
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. court — of law
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. race — a contest
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — after costs
  19. wound — an injury
  20. net — in sport
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. net — for catching
  24. court — of a king

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