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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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Word bank
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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. squash — to crush
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fine — all right
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fine — high quality

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