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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. season — in sport
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mate — a friend
  11. band — a music group
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tear — to rip
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitch — completely
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — of the year
  24. cell — a phone

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