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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tear — to rip
  7. present — a gift
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. present — the time now
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wake — a trail
  15. present — there
  16. degree — an amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — for sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tear — from crying
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. rest — a break

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