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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — a grade
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — of the year
  5. drill — army training
  6. mug — a cup
  7. drill — a practice
  8. season — in sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cell — in biology
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mug — a face
  24. cell — a phone

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