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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fall — the season
  3. firm — steady
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. firm — decided
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cold — an illness
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — soda
  21. chair — a leader
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. firm — a company

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