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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. staff — a stick
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — child
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — for sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. court — of a king
  19. kid — to tease
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of law
  24. rash — a series

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