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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: fine · roll · wake · bass · tube · court · pit · scale

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. scale — size or range
  3. court — of a king
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. court — of law
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fine — high quality
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — for sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tube — the underground
  23. roll — a list
  24. wake — a trail

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