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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. net — for catching
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bass — the fish
  12. kid — child
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bass — low music
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. deal — to handle
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — after costs
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pop — soda
  24. net — 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