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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cap — a lid
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — music
  12. march — the month
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cap — of ice
  15. march — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pop — soda
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pop — to visit

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