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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 120 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: lie · court · chest · spring · cue · last · stand · row

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. row — a line
  10. spring — of water
  11. last — to go on
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — the season
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chest — a box
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cue — a hint
  21. last — finally
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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