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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 124 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. charge — in control
  3. field — farmland
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wake — a trail
  6. court — of a king
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. court — of law
  10. field — a subject
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — for sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bass — the fish
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. suit — in cards
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. charge — a price
  22. object — an aim
  23. field — for sport
  24. charge — electricity

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