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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. toast — bread
  10. cue — a signal
  11. board — a committee
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bass — low music
  14. board — to get on
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bass — the instrument

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