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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fine — high quality
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fine — all right
  18. mark — a grade

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