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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chair — a leader
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kid — to tease
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. shower — rain
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. shower — to wash
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. suit — clothes

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