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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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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: wind · dip · key · coach · ground · lie · fork · last

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lie — to recline
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ground — a position
  5. last — to go on
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. last — finally
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. key — in music
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — moving air

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