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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — final
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. jam — a tight spot

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