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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. swing — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ground — the earth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ground — a position
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rule — government
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rule — a law
  21. bound — certain
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. date — the fruit

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