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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a music group
  4. face — to confront
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fall — the season
  7. current — electric
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. band — a ring
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — of water
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lie — to recline
  24. current — happening now

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