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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — hasty
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rash — a series
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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