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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fine — all right
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cold — an illness
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. leaves — lets stay

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