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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: cabinet · mine · last · game · rock · court · bass · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — for sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a match
  11. rock — music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bass — the fish
  15. court — of law
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — finally
  18. bass — low music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tube — a container
  22. court — of a king
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. last — final

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