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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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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: season · hand · bass · stick · pop · racket · fall · court

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. pop — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — of the year
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — soda
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — the season
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pop — to visit
  20. season — in sport
  21. court — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bass — the fish

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