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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. shower — to wash
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — to crush
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. key — for a lock
  15. shower — rain
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — electric
  20. fall — the season
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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