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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pass — a permit
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lean — thin
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. file — a tool
  21. bound — certain
  22. file — a document
  23. net — for catching
  24. ball — a round shape

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