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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. root — of a word
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mug — a cup
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bass — low music
  11. can — a tin
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — a face
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bass — the fish
  17. race — humankind
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. mate — to breed
  23. root — the cause
  24. spring — a coil

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