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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. last — final
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — finally
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. hand — help
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. perch — the fish
  16. craft — boats
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pop — soda
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. perch — for a bird

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