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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fall — the season
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rock — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fall — to drop
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mine — an explosive

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