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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spell — letters
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — a trace
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chair — to sit on

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