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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — certain
  3. lean — to bend
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. band — a music group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ball — a great time
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lean — thin
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bound — obliged
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ball — a round shape

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