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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 120 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: last · ball · stand · leaves · coach · pit · kick · content

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. content — happy
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — to bear
  6. last — final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. last — finally
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. kick — in football
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. content — the amount
  19. pit — a hole
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pit — in a race
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stand — for spectators
  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