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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mug — to rob
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rule — a law
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. court — for sport
  14. mug — a face
  15. rule — government
  16. court — of a king
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. court — of law
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. rule — to rule out

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