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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 116 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 found your soul ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. game — a match
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mug — to rob
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. track — a song
  8. mate — to breed
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mug — a face
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. track — a path
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mug — a cup
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chair — a leader

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