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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. net — for catching
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitch — completely
  12. drill — a practice
  13. band — a ring
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — the tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. content — happy
  22. band — a music group
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. drill — army training

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