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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — rain
  3. chest — a box
  4. content — happy
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. content — the amount
  8. chest — of your body
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — a subject
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. field — for sport
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. field — farmland
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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