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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chair — a leader
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. club — a group
  13. face — to confront
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pit — in a race
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. face — part of the head
  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