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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — low music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — in sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cap — a hat
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bass — the fish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rock — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cell — in a prison

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