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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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Word bank
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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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 — pulled by horses
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tube — a container
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mate — to breed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. game — a match
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. file — a document
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a tool
  23. season — in sport
  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