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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. root — the cause
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. craft — boats
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bass — the fish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. root — of a word
  22. chair — a leader
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bass — low 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