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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kid — to tease
  4. suit — clothes
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chair — a leader
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — a practice
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — help
  16. rash — a series
  17. drill — army training
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kid — child
  21. hand — in cards
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. suit — to fit
  24. chair — to sit on

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