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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: content · track · coach · pit · bay · cold · snap · lean

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. track — a song
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pit — a hole
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lean — thin
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cold — not warm
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pit — in a race
  15. content — happy
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. track — a path
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to click
  23. lean — to bend
  24. coach — a trainer

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