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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. last — finally
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. last — final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. last — to go on
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cabinet — ministers

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