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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. sharp — clever
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a great time
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. charge — a price
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — a trail
  23. charge — electricity
  24. sharp — with an edge

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