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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — in sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — soda
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pop — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mug — a face
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. court — of a king

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