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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. track — a path
  5. land — a country
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — all right
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. land — ground
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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