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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fine — all right
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. content — the amount
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mate — a friend
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mate — a partner
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rest — a break
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. content — happy
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stand — to bear

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