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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pit — in a race
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mate — to breed
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pit — a hole
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — to handle
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mark — a grade
  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