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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. kid — to tease
  9. present — a gift
  10. pit — in a race
  11. last — finally
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. track — to keep track
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. present — the time now
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. present — there
  19. track — a song
  20. kid — child
  21. track — a path
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pit — a hole

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