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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kid — child
  4. mate — a friend
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — of the year
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — magic

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