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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. present — a gift
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. net — in sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — in music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. present — there
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — for catching
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cap — a hat
  18. net — after costs
  19. cap — a lid
  20. present — the time now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — of ice
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mate — a friend

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