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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cue — a signal
  4. net — for catching
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a ring
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cue — a hint
  12. spell — magic
  13. fine — all right
  14. cue — for pool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. band — a music group
  17. spell — letters
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. net — in sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. net — after costs
  24. date — the fruit

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