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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. scale — in music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mate — to breed
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. root — the cause
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. root — of a word
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a plant

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