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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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. band — a rubber band
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. last — final
  6. bound — certain
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. last — to go on
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. last — finally
  16. band — a ring
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — a trace
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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