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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. craft — boats
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. capital — money
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spell — letters
  7. capital — a city
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — rain
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. roll — a list
  19. mug — a face
  20. spell — magic
  21. mug — a cup
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bass — the fish

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