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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — a stone
  3. suit — to fit
  4. hand — help
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. suit — in cards
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — farmland
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. suit — clothes
  20. field — a subject
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mark — a trace
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. saw — the tool

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