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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — there
  6. pop — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. present — the time now
  10. game — a match
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. snap — to click
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pop — to visit
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. present — a gift
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pop — soda

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