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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bound — certain
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cap — a lid
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cue — for pool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cap — a hat
  24. perch — for a bird

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