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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lean — thin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mine — belonging to me

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