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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — to rob
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. mug — a cup
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mug — a face
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. key — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — for a lock
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — the animal
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for 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