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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.

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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: bass · straw · pitcher · hand · court · present · wake · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — of a king
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — a gift
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. hand — help
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. present — the time now
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — low music
  14. court — of law
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. present — there
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — for sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wake — a trail
  24. straw — dry grass

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