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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. season — of the year
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. row — to paddle
  24. season — in sport

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