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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. game — a match
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bore — to drill
  12. present — a gift
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stand — to bear
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pass — a permit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — final
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. last — finally

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