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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pop — music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pop — soda
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. net — after costs
  9. current — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. current — happening now
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. current — electric
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. craft — a skill
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pop — to visit

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