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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 116 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: snap · bass · mate · court · game · perch · shower · object

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. game — a match
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mate — a partner
  11. object — a thing
  12. snap — to click
  13. object — an aim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bass — the fish
  16. shower — to wash
  17. object — to protest
  18. court — of law
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. court — of a king
  22. mate — a friend
  23. court — for sport
  24. shower — rain

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