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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lean — to bend
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. snap — to click
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. club — for golf
  20. can — a tin
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. hand — help
  24. can — a tin

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