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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. court — of law
  4. bass — low music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — obliged
  7. swing — music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. swing — in golf
  13. court — for sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bound — certain

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