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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. current — of water
  5. bass — the fish
  6. current — happening now
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — the month
  10. current — electric
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mark — a grade
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. court — of law
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. squash — the vegetable

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