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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spring — of water
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — the season
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — to play on
  14. march — music
  15. land — a country
  16. swing — music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. march — the month
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — to come down
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — a coil

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