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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bass — the fish
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rash — a series
  22. chair — a leader
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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