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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bound — certain
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mug — a face
  13. root — of a plant
  14. row — a line
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bat — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — of a word
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. root — the cause
  24. bat — in an idiom

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