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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bass — low music
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — a hat
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a lid
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — for catching
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cap — of ice

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