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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
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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: saw · pop · fine · bat · march · present · coach · wake

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fine — all right
  3. present — a gift
  4. pop — soda
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — there
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bat — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pop — to visit
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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