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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — a line
  3. race — the arms race
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bass — low music
  8. race — humankind
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — a contest
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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