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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bound — certain
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bound — obliged
  6. drill — the tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to click
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. staff — a stick
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. staff — employees
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — army training
  24. nail — for a hammer

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