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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stock — shares
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stock — goods
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cold — an illness

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