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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. present — the time now
  10. object — a thing
  11. present — there
  12. bore — to drill
  13. object — an aim
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. net — after costs
  18. object — to protest
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. present — a gift
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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