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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pit — in a race
  12. content — happy
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — a stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — the amount
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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