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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. ball — a dance
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a great time
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. current — happening now
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — electric
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. current — of water
  24. clip — for paper

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