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

Word bank: bowl · lean · arm · cold · coach · deal · key · chest

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. key — the most important part
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lean — thin
  13. chest — a box
  14. key — in music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — not warm

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