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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ground — a position
  4. band — a ring
  5. file — a document
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mark — a trace
  10. file — a tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. file — a line of people
  13. band — a music group
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a partner
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — a trainer

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