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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — a country
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. toast — bread
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — all right
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bass — low music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. date — the fruit
  19. land — to come down
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mug — to rob
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mug — a face

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