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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. hand — help
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — for sport
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. field — a subject
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. field — farmland
  24. cap — of ice

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