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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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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: bass · calf · wind · stand · game · drill · fine · court

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — all right
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. drill — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. court — of a king
  11. bass — the fish
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. drill — a practice
  16. court — for sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. court — of law
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bass — the instrument

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