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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. row — a line
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. key — for a lock
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spell — magic
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — in music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. season — of the year
  18. key — the most important part
  19. drill — army training
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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