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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of law
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — low music
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. track — a song
  16. court — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. court — of a king
  23. fine — all right
  24. bass — the fish

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