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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spell — magic
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. season — of the year
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spell — letters
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — an aim
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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