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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. shower — rain
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hand — help
  23. lie — to recline
  24. nail — for a hammer

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