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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. track — a song
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — a match
  6. mate — to breed
  7. foot — a measure
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. track — a path
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. track — to keep track
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. game — wild animals
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tear — from crying
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. season — in sport

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