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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 met the new head ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kick — in football
  3. ground — a position
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. ground — crushed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kick — a thrill

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