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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — employees
  3. chest — of your body
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. season — of the year
  6. tear — from crying
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chest — a box
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. staff — a stick
  13. key — the most important part
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — the amount
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — in music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. content — happy
  24. key — for a lock

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