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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — ground
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. season — in sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — a country
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. nail — for a hammer

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