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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bass — low music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pass — a permit
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — a stone
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — a practice
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. drill — army training
  18. shower — rain
  19. bear — the animal
  20. perch — the fish
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pass — to succeed

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