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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fine — high quality
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. race — a contest
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. face — to confront
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — to point toward
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — humankind
  15. fine — all right
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. perch — the fish
  22. race — the arms race
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ball — a great time

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