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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a document
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bound — tied together
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — of a word
  14. kid — child
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chair — a leader
  24. root — the cause

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