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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. file — a document
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. ground — crushed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. last — final
  10. ground — a position
  11. fall — the season
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. last — to go on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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