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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kid — child
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. kid — to tease
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bass — low music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. branch — a division
  17. track — a path
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. can — to be able to
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. can — a tin
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bass — the fish

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