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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. cabinet — ministers
  3. object — a thing
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ball — a dance
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pit — a hole
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pit — in a race
  16. object — to protest
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chair — a leader
  22. object — an aim
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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