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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. field — for sport
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cue — a signal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. face — to confront
  20. cue — a hint
  21. face — to point toward
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cue — for pool
  24. field — farmland

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