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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rest — a break
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bore — to tire
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bass — low music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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