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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cue · mine · mouse · swing · coach · season · wind · track

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — a path
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. track — a song
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. swing — in golf
  14. season — in sport
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cue — for pool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. season — of the year
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — the animal

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