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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — there
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mine — for digging
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. race — humankind
  11. cap — a lid
  12. deal — to handle
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. race — a contest
  15. present — the time now
  16. roll — a list
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. present — a gift
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. saw — the tool
  24. roll — a cake

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