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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. last — final
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. scale — in music
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — in a road
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — a measure
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — a box
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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