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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. net — for catching
  9. fine — high quality
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fine — all right
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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