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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. craft — boats
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. face — to confront
  12. craft — a skill
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. deal — to handle
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — the season
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — part of the head
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — belonging to me

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