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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — low music
  5. court — of a king
  6. present — the time now
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. can — to be able to
  11. present — there
  12. bound — certain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. present — a gift
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. court — of law

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