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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pit — in a race
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — all right
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — a dish

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