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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. can — to be able to
  4. toast — bread
  5. present — a gift
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — the season
  16. can — a tin
  17. present — the time now
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. present — there
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spring — of water
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. can — a tin

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