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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. roll — a list
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. spell — letters
  11. club — for dancing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. club — a group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. file — a document
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. club — for golf
  23. roll — a cake
  24. file — a tool

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