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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bass — low music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — for sport
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. club — for golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — of law
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rock — a stone

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