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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cell — a phone
  3. court — for sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. court — of a king
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. track — a path
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pit — in a race
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. track — a song
  23. bass — low music
  24. pit — a hole

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