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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — the fish
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — to play on
  6. net — after costs
  7. object — to protest
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — to handle
  12. scale — in music
  13. season — of the year
  14. scale — size or range
  15. swing — music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. net — in sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. season — in sport

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