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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — in golf
  6. scale — in music
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. shower — rain
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. swing — to play on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. swing — music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ruler — for measuring

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