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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 124 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. toast — bread
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — for digging
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. band — a music group
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cap — a hat
  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