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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · mug · bass · cell · land · court · bear · row

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mug — a cup
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — ground
  11. bass — low music
  12. court — of law
  13. land — to come down
  14. court — for sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. court — of a king
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — a line
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mug — a face

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