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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — high quality
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fine — all right
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ground — a position
  24. suit — in cards

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