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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. land — ground
  6. cold — an illness
  7. spell — a short time
  8. object — an aim
  9. land — a country
  10. object — a thing
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitch — completely
  14. land — to come down
  15. fine — all right
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. object — to protest
  21. spell — magic
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

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