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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. game — a match
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. track — a song
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cold — not warm
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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