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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. court — of law
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — to breed
  20. shower — rain
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — for sport
  23. bass — low music
  24. mate — a friend

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