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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ground — a position
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — the season
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mate — a friend

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