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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a ring
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chest — a box
  8. face — part of the head
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to confront
  16. band — a music group
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — to point toward
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ball — a great 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