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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. chair — a leader
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. row — to paddle
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. row — a line
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rest — a break
  24. bound — certain

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