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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cell — in biology
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — to wash
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pass — a permit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. vault — a safe
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. shower — rain
  24. cell — in a prison

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