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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — ground
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. key — the most important part
  8. swing — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. key — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — a country
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. land — to come down
  20. swing — in golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. key — for a lock

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