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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mine — for digging
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cue — a signal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pop — to visit
  16. track — a song
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pop — soda
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cue — a hint

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