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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — a short time
  4. chair — a leader
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spell — letters
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bore — to drill
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. court — of a king
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. coach — a trainer

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