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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. face — to point toward
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. face — to confront
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pass — to spend time

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