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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pop — music
  4. season — in sport
  5. face — to point toward
  6. vault — a safe
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — a law
  10. season — of the year
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rule — government
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pop — to visit
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — soda
  19. face — to confront
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rash — hasty

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