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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — a tin
  5. key — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — the underground
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tube — a container
  12. march — music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. key — for a lock
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mate — a partner
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — a friend
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — to lash out

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