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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. suit — clothes
  6. row — a line
  7. suit — to fit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — in cards
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. clip — a video
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — a division
  19. row — to paddle
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. clip — to cut

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