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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pass — a permit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. swing — music
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rush — hurry
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mug — a face
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. track — a song
  21. mug — to rob
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mug — a cup

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