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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · mouse · wound · spell · bay · can · march · coach

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cold — not warm
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — a tin
  8. spell — letters
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spell — a short time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — music
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — an illness
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — magic

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