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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. staff — a stick
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — employees
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rock — music
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — employees
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bay — a horse colour

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