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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a ring
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a music group
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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