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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 124 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — the underground
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. season — of the year
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — a series
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pop — soda
  22. tube — a container
  23. pop — to visit
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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