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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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. wound — an injury
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. land — a country
  10. date — the fruit
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. row — a line
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mate — to breed
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. land — to come down
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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