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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stand — to bear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitch — completely
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cold — an illness
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. coach — a trainer

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