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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. club — a group
  4. pass — a permit
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mine — for digging
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. capital — a city
  22. club — for golf
  23. can — a tin
  24. capital — money

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