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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. kid — child
  3. band — a music group
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. object — a thing
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — to tease
  9. game — a match
  10. shower — to wash
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. game — wild animals
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lie — to recline
  16. object — to protest
  17. shower — rain
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. band — a ring
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. coach — a trainer

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