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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tear — from crying
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. toast — bread
  22. cold — not warm
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stand — for spectators

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