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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. last — final
  5. firm — steady
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — for digging
  10. scale — in music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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