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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. net — in sport
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. net — for catching
  9. pop — soda
  10. rock — music
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pit — in a race

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