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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — for digging
  6. content — the amount
  7. cue — a signal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fine — high quality
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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