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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a great time
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. chest — a box
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lie — to recline
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lie — an untruth

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