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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. march — music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. dip — to sink
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. current — of water
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. current — electric
  24. dip — to dunk

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