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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: kid · pit · hand · lie · coach · can · fan · mark

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — help
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mark — a trace
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — an untruth

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