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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mug — a cup
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. march — music
  15. mug — a face
  16. shower — to wash
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. march — the month
  19. suit — clothes
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. shower — rain

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