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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pass — a permit
  3. drill — army training
  4. toast — bread
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cue — a hint
  7. drill — a practice
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. file — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. cue — a signal
  15. file — a document
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. file — a line of people
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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