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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 the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fine — all right
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. key — for a lock
  10. shower — rain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. key — in music
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fine — high quality
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lean — thin

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