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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. swing — music
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. key — in music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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