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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. can — to be able to
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. vault — a safe
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rock — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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