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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — in cards
  6. perch — the fish
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pop — music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bass — low music
  15. chip — to eat
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bound — certain
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bound — obliged
  20. hand — help
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pop — soda

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