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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: court · wave · jam · saw · game · bass · cold · suit

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cold — an illness
  6. suit — clothes
  7. game — a match
  8. suit — in cards
  9. game — wild animals
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — low music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. court — of a king
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bass — the fish
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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