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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mine — for digging
  3. last — finally
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — final
  10. mate — to breed
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. last — to go on
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bowl — a football final
  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