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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. swing — in golf
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. swing — music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — electricity
  16. swing — to play on
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pit — in a race
  23. sharp — clever
  24. leaves — of a tree

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