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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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Word bank
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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fine — all right
  8. rash — a series
  9. game — wild animals
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fine — high quality
  19. snap — to click
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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