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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. club — for golf
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — of your body
  10. staff — employees
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to confront
  15. staff — employees
  16. club — for dancing
  17. land — ground
  18. face — to point toward
  19. land — a country
  20. fork — in a road
  21. club — a group
  22. chest — a box
  23. staff — a stick
  24. land — to come down

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