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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a music group
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. foot — a measure
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. band — a ring
  9. chest — a box
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. lie — to recline
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. ground — a position
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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