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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. deal — to handle
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. bound — tied together
  12. court — of a king
  13. bound — obliged
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bound — certain
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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