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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rock — music
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rock — a stone
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. sharp — clever
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rash — a series
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. deal — to handle
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rash — hasty

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