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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. file — a tool
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. tear — to rip
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — boats
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a document
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. file — a line of people

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