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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — in a road
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. degree — from a university
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mine — belonging to me

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