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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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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: bay · coach · cap · track · staff · drill · last · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. drill — a practice
  3. track — a song
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — of ice
  6. drill — army training
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fine — all right
  11. cap — a lid
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. drill — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. track — a path
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — employees
  20. last — to go on
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cap — a hat
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — to keep track

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