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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kid — child
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — low music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — an aim
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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