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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 120 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 it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spell — letters
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bass — the fish
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — magic
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hand — help
  24. coach — a trainer

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