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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 120 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 · mouse · court · rule · mate · firm · fork · game

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. court — for sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. court — of a king
  5. firm — a company
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. court — of law
  11. bass — low music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rule — a law
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — a partner
  21. firm — steady
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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