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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mate — a friend
  3. band — a music group
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mate — to breed
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rock — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chair — a leader
  24. prune — the fruit

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