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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — an illness
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bore — to tire

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