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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — low music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — a video
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kick — in football
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bass — the instrument

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