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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. swing — music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. toast — bread
  14. rush — hurry
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — the earth
  20. swing — to play on
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. swing — in golf

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