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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — to come down
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mate — to breed
  7. kick — in football
  8. mate — a friend
  9. land — a country
  10. capital — money
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mate — a partner
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — a path
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. land — ground
  21. march — music
  22. track — a song
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — a trainer

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