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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — employees
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. coach — a trainer

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