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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · jam · scale · bass · craft · sharp · rush · kid

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — child
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rush — hurry
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. scale — in music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bass — low music
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. craft — boats
  24. scale — size or range

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