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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. last — final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. can — a tin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. can — a tin
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. can — to be able to

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