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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — ground
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lie — to recline
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — to sink
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stock — goods
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. land — to come down
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — a country
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — shares
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — the fish
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. nail — for a hammer

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