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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bear · court · root · leaves · scale · bass · chair · fork

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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. fork — to eat with
  4. court — for sport
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. scale — in music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — of a king
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bass — the fish
  22. root — of a word
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fork — in a road

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