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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 124 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spell — magic
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mark — a trace
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. staff — a stick
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — letters
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. drill — army training
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. spell — a short time

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