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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chest — a box
  7. rest — a break
  8. scale — size or range
  9. roll — a list
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kid — to tease
  12. scale — in music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. staff — a stick
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kid — child
  21. toast — bread
  22. staff — employees
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — what's left

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