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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. suit — in cards
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — help
  8. content — the amount
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — happy
  11. mine — for digging
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. nail — for a hammer

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