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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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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: coach · net · squash · band · cold · face · stick · pass

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to point toward
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. band — a music group
  16. pass — a permit
  17. net — for catching
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. squash — to crush
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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