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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: wound · last · bay · tube · temple · ball · coach · track

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tube — a container
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — a song
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. last — finally
  23. track — a path
  24. bay — a horse colour

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