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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. court — for sport
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. press — to push
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bear — the animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. court — of law
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bass — low music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. swing — in golf
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — music
  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