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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — the fish
  4. charge — a price
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. game — a match
  8. court — for sport
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. charge — electricity
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. court — of a king
  15. bass — low music
  16. court — of law
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ball — a great time
  20. charge — in control
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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