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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bass — the fish
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — low music
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fine — high quality
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. key — for a lock
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — to drill
  21. land — a country
  22. row — to paddle
  23. key — in music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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