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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. court — of a king
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to sink
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. sharp — clever
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mouse — the animal

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