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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
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: racket · pop · cold · plane · coach · fan · bay · wound

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pop — music

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