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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — a match
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — of the year
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. row — a quarrel

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