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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. band — a music group
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — part of the head
  10. staff — employees
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. face — to confront
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lie — to recline
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. band — a ring
  21. rush — hurry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lie — an untruth

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