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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. charge — a price
  3. present — the time now
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — in golf
  7. charge — electricity
  8. present — there
  9. bass — low music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bass — the fish
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. charge — in control
  19. cold — not warm
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. present — a gift
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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