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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rush — hurry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. key — the most important part
  12. club — for golf
  13. bound — tied together
  14. club — a group
  15. bound — certain
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — a leader
  19. key — in music
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. key — for a lock
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. saw — the tool

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