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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tear — to rip
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pass — a permit

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