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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. 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. season — of the year
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cue — a signal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mine — for digging
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. shower — rain
  9. stand — to bear
  10. shower — to wash
  11. season — in sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cue — for pool
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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