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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. court — for sport
  6. chair — a leader
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — a path
  12. court — of a king
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. shower — rain
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. court — of law
  24. track — a song

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