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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fine — all right
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. shower — to wash
  6. object — to protest
  7. court — of a king
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. court — of law
  10. object — a thing
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bass — low music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. object — an aim
  24. shower — rain

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