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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bass — low music
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. object — an aim
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — electric
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bass — the fish
  14. tube — a container
  15. staff — a stick
  16. current — happening now
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. current — of water
  19. staff — employees
  20. object — to protest
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. object — a thing
  24. march — the month

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