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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chest — of your body
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. date — the fruit
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. march — the month
  12. chest — of your body
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stand — to bear
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chest — a box
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. march — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to click

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