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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fine — high quality
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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