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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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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: mark · wound · cold · bay · toast · stick · wind · coach

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mark — a grade
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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