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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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. perch — the fish
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitch — completely
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ball — a great time
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — employees
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. staff — a stick

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