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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — for catching
  4. present — a gift
  5. file — a tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. file — a line of people
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. present — the time now
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — after costs
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. present — there
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — in sport

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