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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. key — in music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bass — low music
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. shower — to wash
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. key — for a lock
  20. shower — rain
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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