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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — of a king
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spell — letters
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — magic

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