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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bound — certain
  19. mate — a friend
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. snap — to click

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