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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spell — magic
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bass — low music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — letters
  10. chip — for betting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. shower — to wash
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. bore — to tire
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — rain

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