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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pit — in a race
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. can — a tin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — in sport
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pit — a hole
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. straw — dry grass
  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