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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. swing — to play on
  4. shower — rain
  5. last — final
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bass — low music
  12. last — finally
  13. present — there
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. present — the time now
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bass — the fish
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — a stick
  21. swing — music
  22. present — a gift
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — to wash

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