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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · scale · present · coach · tube · lie · key · row

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tube — a container
  3. present — a gift
  4. mug — a face
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — there
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mug — a cup
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tube — the underground
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lie — to recline
  22. scale — size or range
  23. row — a line
  24. scale — for weighing

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