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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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 — pulled by horses
  2. current — electric
  3. ball — a dance
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mate — a partner
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mark — a grade
  11. land — ground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. scale — size or range
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ball — a great time
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mate — to breed
  21. current — happening now
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — to come down
  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