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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — in sport
  4. pit — in a race
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. band — a music group
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pit — a hole
  17. season — of the year
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. band — a ring
  21. net — for catching
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a rubber band

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