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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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. cold — the Cold War
  4. rule — government
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wake — a trail
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rule — a law
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. object — a thing

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