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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — ground
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. craft — boats
  12. mine — for digging
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — a country
  15. bound — obliged
  16. tube — a container
  17. bound — certain
  18. craft — a skill
  19. land — to come down
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bear — to put up with

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