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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wake — a trail
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fan — a supporter

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