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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — a stick
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — a container
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. file — a document
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — to recline

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