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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — wild animals
  5. object — an aim
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rest — a break
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. object — a thing
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — what's left
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. object — to protest
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — low music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bass — the fish

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