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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — to go on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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