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

Word bank: last · coach · pit · safe · cold · firm · scale · fall

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — a company
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pit — a hole
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. firm — decided
  7. fall — to drop
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. pit — in a race
  13. scale — in music
  14. firm — steady
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. scale — size or range
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. last — final
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — to go on

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