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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ground — crushed
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — a line
  14. fine — all right
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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