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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rule — government
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rule — a law
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. chest — a box
  17. march — music
  18. cue — a hint
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fork — in a road
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mine — an explosive

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