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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pitch — completely
  4. court — for sport
  5. track — a song
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — a path
  21. court — of a king
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. perch — the fish
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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