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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · shower · key · season · fine · wind · track · cold

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fine — high quality
  7. track — to keep track
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fine — all right
  11. season — in sport
  12. key — for a lock
  13. track — a path
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. track — a song
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. shower — rain

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