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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. club — a group
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. season — of the year
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. club — for golf
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. season — in sport
  24. club — for dancing

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