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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — electricity
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. charge — in control
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — a price
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. foot — a measure

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