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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. board — a committee
  3. track — a song
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rash — a series
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chair — a leader
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — to get on
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — on the skin

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