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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: suit · coach · roll · kid · last · file · object · season

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. last — to go on
  3. kid — to tease
  4. last — finally
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. object — to protest
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. roll — a list
  9. suit — to fit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. suit — clothes
  12. file — a tool
  13. object — an aim
  14. roll — a cake
  15. object — a thing
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — in sport
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. season — of the year
  20. file — a document
  21. kid — child
  22. last — final
  23. suit — in cards
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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