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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.

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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cold — an illness
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. firm — a company
  12. cold — not warm
  13. firm — steady
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. firm — decided
  18. stand — to bear

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