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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. squash — to crush
  4. firm — decided
  5. present — a gift
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — a country
  8. firm — a company
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bass — the fish
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. court — of a king
  15. land — to come down
  16. drill — army training
  17. squash — the sport
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. present — there
  21. land — ground
  22. present — the time now
  23. drill — a practice
  24. firm — steady

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