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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. firm — steady
  3. cell — in biology
  4. sharp — clever
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. firm — a company
  15. cell — a phone
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cold — not warm
  20. firm — decided
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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