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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chest — a box
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — bread
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. face — to confront
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. band — a ring
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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