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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. hand — help
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hand — in cards
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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