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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rock — music
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — the season
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — a leader
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. present — the time now
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. present — a gift
  21. spring — of water
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. dip — to sink

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