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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. swing — in golf
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. net — in sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mine — for digging
  11. root — the cause
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. root — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. root — of a word
  21. net — after costs
  22. staff — employees
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — for catching

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