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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: rash · coach · mate · stick · chest · ground · bat · lie

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — a partner
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — a position
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — a series
  17. chest — a box
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — hasty

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