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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · mug · row · ball · mate · wind · chair · coach

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chair — a leader
  3. row — a line
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mug — a cup
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mug — a face
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ground — a position

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