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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. charge — in control
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fall — the season
  10. charge — electricity
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. charge — a price
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — in geometry

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