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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — goods
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stock — shares
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stock — a soup base

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