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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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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 · chest · mouse · mate · court · deal · fork · cell

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. court — of a king
  12. chest — a box
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fork — in a road
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mate — a partner
  24. court — of law

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