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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — a box
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pass — a permit
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. chest — of your body
  8. net — after costs
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lean — thin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. charge — a price
  16. net — in sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. charge — in control
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pound — to hit hard

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