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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cue — a signal
  3. field — for sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. stock — goods
  6. court — of a king
  7. field — a subject
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bound — certain
  12. field — farmland
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — for sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — shares
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — letters

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