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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. roll — a cake
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. present — a gift
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mate — a partner
  14. lie — to recline
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mate — to breed
  18. content — the amount
  19. roll — a list
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — the time now
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. present — there

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