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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. band — a music group
  5. court — for sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — of a king
  11. rash — a series
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. court — of law
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bass — the fish
  16. band — a ring
  17. can — a tin
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bass — low music
  21. fine — all right
  22. can — to be able to
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a tree

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