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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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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 the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. net — for catching
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. shower — rain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. nail — on a finger

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