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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: game · bass · mate · pit · tube · court · pound · ball

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pound — a weight
  5. court — of law
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tube — a container
  13. game — a match
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pit — in a race
  22. court — of a king
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. court — for sport

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