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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — employees
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. staff — a stick
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — a cup
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pass — a permit
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. march — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — low music

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