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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 124 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. pitch — completely
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bark — to shout
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — final
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — in music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. key — for a lock
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. last — to go on
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. key — the most important part
  22. last — finally
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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