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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. track — to keep track
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. track — a path
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rash — a series
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. deal — a big deal

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