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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chair — a leader
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. roll — a list
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wake — a trail
  23. drill — army training
  24. present — the time now

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