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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: bay · wind · fine · coach · march · rush · mate · tube

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mate — to breed
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rush — hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — a container
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. march — music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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