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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. game — wild animals
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a document
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a match
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fall — the season
  15. bound — certain
  16. rock — a stone
  17. file — a tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rock — 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