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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · clip · deal · ball · bass · object · court · mine

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. clip — a video
  4. object — a thing
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ball — a great time
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bass — low music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. court — of law
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. object — an aim
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. deal — to handle
  24. object — to protest

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