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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: coach · mate · suit · content · straw · fork · mark · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. content — the amount
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mate — a friend
  8. suit — to fit
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mark — a trace
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mate — a partner
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mark — a grade
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — in cards
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. suit — clothes
  24. fork — to eat with

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