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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. last — to go on
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. present — a gift
  6. net — for catching
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. net — in sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. track — to keep track
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. track — a song
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. present — the time now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — hasty

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