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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — a song
  4. march — music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fine — all right
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spring — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mug — a cup
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mug — a face

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