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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mine — for digging
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. present — a gift
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pop — soda
  9. charge — a price
  10. present — there
  11. charge — in control
  12. pop — to visit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — after costs
  17. bass — low music
  18. net — for catching
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — in sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. present — the time now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pop — music

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