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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. swing — music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rule — a law
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bound — obliged
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rule — government
  19. bound — tied together
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chair — a professorship

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