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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. track — a song
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a match
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bat — the animal
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mark — a trace
  11. track — a path
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — a grade
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — of the year
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — in sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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