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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bat — the animal
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chair — a leader
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spell — letters
  24. chair — to sit on

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