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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — low music
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. 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