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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bore — to drill
  6. march — music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. march — the month
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bass — low music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — the month

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