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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rock — music
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — certain
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pass — a permit
  16. plane — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rock — a stone
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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