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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — the fish
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. net — in sport
  7. bass — low music
  8. track — a song
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — to keep track
  11. season — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. season — of the year
  23. net — for catching
  24. game — a match

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