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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 120 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 found your soul ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. season — of the year
  8. cue — a signal
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. mate — a friend
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mate — to breed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. season — in sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. last — finally
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stand — to bear

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