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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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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: track · face · coach · cold · pit · row · bound · saw

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cold — an illness
  3. row — a line
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — to confront
  6. pit — a hole
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. row — to paddle
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — certain
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bound — obliged
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cold — not warm
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. row — a quarrel

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