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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — to get on
  10. chest — a box
  11. board — a committee
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bear — the animal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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