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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a friend
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mate — a partner
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. swing — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. coach — a trainer

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