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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bass — the fish
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bound — certain
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. snap — to click
  19. mark — a grade
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bass — low music
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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