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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. object — to protest
  4. bear — the animal
  5. object — a thing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. object — an aim
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stand — to bear
  12. game — a match
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a tool
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. file — a document
  24. stand — on your feet

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